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Gandhari (play) is a 60-minute solo-performance which was first staged at one of Sydney's most respected venues, NIDA Theatre, in July 2005.
Produced by Aishveryaa and directed by Arvind Gaur. Done repeat shows in Sydney and was also invited to perform in Melbourne on South Asia Day on 9th August 2008
Gandhari is one of the tragic characters of Mahabharata, the great
Indian mythological epic and is very relevant to the contemporary
socio-political context. She was born a princess, but was forced
to marry a blind man, Dhritrashtra, who was much older to her.
She had a boon that she will bear 100 sons, which later became
a curse. Bhishma, the granduncle of blind Dhritarashtra ,
forced Gandhari's father, the King of Gandhar, to negotiate
the marriage.
Before marrying, Gandhari tied a strip of cloth on her eyes
and vowed to lead a blindfolded life. Although it is popularly
believed she did so to experience the blind world of
Dhritarashtra, Gandhari's resolve to remain blindfolded was a
silent protest against the power games and the forced
marriage. Eventually, she became the mother of 100 sons, the
Kauravas, and one daughter, Dusshala. She remained blind to
the power games, hatred and the growing animosity between her
sons and their first cousins, the Pandavas, which later led to
the great war of Kurukshetra.
The relevance of the play in the contemporary world is it
highlights the anti-war theme and the role of women,
especially the mother in educating the society to give up
violence. Gandhari was a very strong and intelligent woman,
who closed her eyes to protest against her marriage which was
a violation of her right as a woman, at a time when her
contemporaries like Kunti and Madri were free to choose their
husbands. |
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As a result,
Gandhari grew indifferent to everything that was happening
with her sons and the Pandavas. She even remained blind to the
insult of the wife of the Pandavas, Draupadi.
Later, she refused
to bless her sons for Kurukshetra and remained strong in her
anti-war and pro-justice stand. But if she had been aware
about her power and control over her sons, she would have used
it to prevent the war and eventual death of her sons.
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